THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
has a large pouch, the other destitute of it.” This is an important note, 
and attention wiU be drawn to it later. 
Gmelin’s Pelecanus minor depends upon Brisson’s Fregata minor, which 
in its turn is based entirely upon “ Edwards’ Glanur, Part II., p. 209, 
Chap. XCIX. ; avec une figure exacte, pi. 309.” No locality is given by 
Brisson, who questions “ C’est peut-etre la femelle de la precedente.” 
That two or more species were confused was early recognised by voyageurs, 
but the fact that these early descriptions referred to immature specimens 
made their separation difficult. 
In 1848 Gould figured and described in the Birds of Australia a very 
small species under the name of Fregata ariel. With a craze for lumping 
and minimising the importance of new discoveries this was immediately 
suppressed in favor of Gmelin’s Pelecanus minor, though practically nothing 
in the description is strictly applicable, the bill length “ five inches ” being 
certainly inapplicable, while the total length is also strongly in disagreement. 
In Gray’s Handl. Gen. Sp. Birds, pt. m., p. 131, 1871, as a synonym of 
Atagen aquilus L. appears “ caroliniana Less.” I have not traced Lesson’s 
usage of this name, but I will show that by deduction Lesson’s name 
would belong to the small bird. As synonyms of minor Gmel., Gray quotes 
“ palmerstoni Gm.” and “ ariel Gould.” 
In the Kat. Vogels. Mus. Senchenh., p. 235, 1891, Hartert described the 
bird named by Kittlitz Fregata strumosa, regarding it as synonymous with 
Fregata aquila, while in the synonymy of Fregata ariel, Ogilvie-Grant 
placed Tachypetes cJiamheyroni Montrouzier. Montrouzier, in the Bull. 86c. 
Geogr. Franc., Series VI., Vol. XII., 1876, p. 646, 1877, regarding the 
avifauna of Huon and Surprise Islands, wrote as follows : 
p. 645. “ La fregate commune {tachypetes aquilus) : une autre f regate 
4 plumage brun largement traverse de blanc sur la poitrine, laquelle n’est 
peut-etre qu’une variete d’dge ou de sexe de la precedente.” 
p. 646. “ Et enfin une fregate qui est nouveUe pour moi et qui je decris 
ainsi, sous le nom de tachypetes chamheyroni, s’il y a reellement lieu de la 
considerer comme nouvelle. Taille de la fregate commune, d’un noir brun, 
plumes du dessus du dos longues, irisees, a reflets metalliques ; un volumineux 
jabot place sous la gorge, pouvant se gonfler, d’un rouge de sang, garni a la 
base de quelques plumes rares, courtes, distantes et de tuberculosites 
analogues a celles de la tete du dindon.” 
I see nothing whatever in this description that would cause the 
association of Montrouzier’s name with the small bird in preference to the 
large and have italicised the line where Montrouzier gives the size of his new 
species as the same as that of the common one. The description applies 
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